Wrench



7 k w W/ a z m a L W, f I

June 2, 1925. I Y

w. T. LONG wnnucn Filed Aug. 21. 1923 Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF ICE.

WILLIAIVLT. LONG, 01? PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN F, REED, OF

' SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

WRENCH.

Application filed August 21, 1923. Serial No. 658,581.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM T. LONG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Puyallup, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wrenches and has for its object an improved construction whereby the movable'jaw may be quickly adjusted to the working position and firmly held in such position while the wrench is in use. Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which will normally prevent removal of the adjustable aw but permit the ready removal of the same 1f occasion should demand, and a still further object of theinvention is-to provide detachable jaws which may be quickly fitted in place or removed so that replacement of a worn or broken jaw may be quickly effected. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and 7 consists in certain novel features which will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly pointed out in the ap pended claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a Side elevation of'awrench embodying my present improvements:

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 4 is a detail view of one ofthe dctachable jaws. v

In carrying out my invention, I employ a straight bar shank 1 constituting a handle member and provided at one end with a head 2 projecting from one side while upon its opposite side between its endsit is provided with a transverse shoulder 3. A series of transverse teeth 4 is formed upon that edge of the shank from which the head 2 projects, and in the inner face of the head 2 is formed a groove 5 extending from the end of the head to the side of the shank, a socket 6 being provided in the head at the base of said groove, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. A jaw 7 is provided to be carried by the head 2 and the said jaw is formed with a rib 8 on one side to fit in the groove 5 of the head, a boss or lug 9 being formed at one end of the said rib to fit within the socket 6, as shown in Fig.

10 is inserted through the said boss and through the sides of the head so as to detachably retain the jaw upon the head and the working face of the jaw is preferably formed. with transverse teeth 11 pointing toward the shank, as shown most clearly inFigs. 1 and 2. Loosely fitting around the shank 1 is a sleeve or casing 12 which carries the movable head 13 equipped with a jaw 14: adapted to cooperate with the jaw 7 in gripping a pipe or nut. The head 13 is firmly secured in the open side of the sleeve 12 and extends from the sleeve toward the free end of the shank 1, the eX- tending portion of the head being tapered and suitably shaped to provide a thumb piece 15, while upon the edgeof the head presented to the edge of the shank I form a series of transverse teeth 16 adapted to engage the teeth 4 upon the shank and thereby hold the movable head in a set position. Upon reference to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the teeth 16 follow an arc of wide radius extending longitudinally of the head so that the head may have a slight rocking movement upon the shank to facilitate the admission of a nut or wrench between the jawsfl A leaf spring 17 is secured midway its ends to the sleeve '12 and has one end thereof bent to form a curved terminal for slidable engagement with the adjacent smooth edge of the shank while the other end of said spring is straight to form a terminal abutment for contact with the shoulder 3, as clearlyshown in Fig. 2, said spring serving to yieldably hold the head 13 in engagement with the shank. In one side of the sleeve is provided a longitudinally extending slot 18 and upon the adjacent side of the shank is provided a series of graduations 19 suitably marked to indicate diameters of nuts or pipes and visible through the slot 18. In adjusting the wrench for use, the sleeve may be moved longitudinally of the shank until the forward end of the slot 18 registers or alines with the graduations 19 corresponding to the diameter of the nut or pipe to be engaged, whereupon the pressure upon the head and the sleeve may be relieved to permit the spring 17 to at once draw the teeth 16 into engagement with the teeth 4. A slight pressure upon the thumb piece 15 will then cause the head to rock about the engaged teeth 16' and 1 to slightly spread the outer ends of the jaws and permit the same to be passed at opposite sides of the nut or wrench to be turned.

The forward end of the head 13 is provided with a dovetailed groove20 extending between the inner and outer end edges of the head and having its sides converging toward the shank. The jaw 14 is provided with a dovetailed rib 21 adapted to engage the said groove 20, and the outer working face of the said jaw is provided with transverse teeth22 pointing outwardly, as shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 1, I have shown the wrench as arranged towork upon a pipe 23, and it will be noted that the teeth 11 and 22 engage opposite sides of the pipe so that, it the V shank lbe swung: about the pipe toward the points of the teeth, the teeth will be caused to bite into the pipe suiiiciently to turn the same, and it will be also noted that the strain upon the jaw 1a is exerted in a direction toward-the shank so that the said jaw will tend to move inwardly with respect to the shank and, consequently;the rib' 2l will bind within the groove 20 and thereby firmly hold the jaw 14. iVhen thenut or pipe has been turned home, the head 13 is rocked slightly by pressure applied to the thumb piece 15 and the nut or pipe will thus be released. If it be desired to quickly remove the wrench from the work,

the head 13 may be slid toward the outer end of the shank so that the jaws will be entirely free of the work and the wrench may be freely lifted therefrom. The out ward movement of the head 13 and the sleeve 12 will be limited by the end of the spring 17 impinging against the shoulder 8, but, if, for any resason, it should be desirable to remove the movable head from the shank, a thin fiat instrument of any convenient type, such as a knife blade, may be inserted between the end of the spring and the side of the shank and the end of the spring pried slightly from the shank so that it will clear the shoulder3, whereupon the sleeve and the head carried thereby may be slid along and ofi the1sl1ank-.- Of course, to assemble the movable head with the shank," the end of the shan is merely cost, and easily operated in an efiicient manis claimed as new is:

A wrench comprising a straight bar shank having a transverse shoulder on one side edge between its ends and provided with a longitudinal series of transverse Having thus described the invention, what teeth on its opposite side edge, a fixed head carried by one end of the shank, a sleeve fitting loosely around the shank between said head and the shoulder and having its closed side normally disposed at an angle to the adjacent longitudinal edge of the shank and spaced a greater distance from said longitudinal, edge at its upper end than at its lower end, a movable head secured in the open side of the said sleeve to cooperate with the fixed head, said movable head havinga laterally curved thumb piece extending from the sleeve toward the free end of: the shank with its free end normally spaced from the teeth on said shank, a series of transverse teeth on the edge; of the head presented to the shank and adapted to engage the teeth on said shank, said teeeth 0n the head defining an arc, and a leaf spring secured between its ends in the closed side of the sleeve and having its ends bearing upon the adjacent edge of the shank, one end of said spring being bent to form a curved terminal for sliding engagement with the shank and the other end thereof being provided with a terminal abutment adapted to impinge against the transverse shoulder on the shank for limiting the longitudinal movement of the head, said movable head being readily removable from one end of the shank when the spring is depressed so as to clear said shoulder;

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. WILLIAM T. LONG. [1,. s.]' 

